Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: We Have A Problem

The car ride back to Jake’s house was suffocatingly quiet. Margaret sat rigid in the passenger seat, her sharp gaze burning into Jake’s figure. Her fury was palpable, simmering just beneath her poised exterior.

How could he be so stupid? What was he thinking doing what he did? How could he? Margaret mused, her anger barely concealed.

When they finally arrived and stepped into the apartment, Margaret couldn’t hold back any longer. She slammed her bag onto the coffee table, spinning around to face her son.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” she hissed, her voice sharp enough to slice through his lingering panic.

Jake flinched, loosening his tie as if the room had suddenly become too warm. “Mother, I—”

“Don’t ‘Mother’ me!” she snapped, stepping closer. “You showed your hand too soon, Jake. If you weren’t prepared to take Alex down in one blow, why did you even bother? Half measures only make you look incompetent.”

Jake’s jaw tightened. He wanted to protest, to remind her that Alex hadn’t been in town for years so he never knew Alex could figure out what was going on, but he knew better than to argue with Margaret when she was in this mood.

“He baited me,” Jake said instead, trying to steady his voice. “I didn’t expect him to bring out that video or those pictures. It’s obvious he’s been plotting this for a while.”

“So have you, yet, you let him get the upper hand!” Margaret spat, her voice laced with disdain. She crossed her arms, pacing the room. “You underestimated him, Jake. That was your first mistake. Your second? Assuming Vanessa could ever be useful without proper control. And now? Now, you’ve left me in the embarrassing position of defending you without even knowing what ammunition Alex has left. What would Claire think of you or me now?”

Jake looked at his mother and he could tell she was very much pissed not because he had failed but because Claire had been brought to light about all that was happening.

It was going to take a while and a lot of convincing to convincing Claire that she didn’t know what Jake had done and that he had done it all on his own.

Jake knew his mother was angry because it wouldn’t be easy and if they don’t convince Claire, they might as well kiss their ambitions goodbye.

Jake groaned, running a hand through his hair, the realization of the situation kicking in. “I get it, okay? I screwed up. But it’s not over yet,” he said, thinking of ways he could turn the situation around.

“Oh, it better not be,” Margaret said coldly, stopping to fix him with a hard stare. “Because if it is, you can kiss any support from me goodbye and whatever you do, it has to be well planned otherwise, I’m going to let you fail and not raise a finger,” she said coldly.

Her words hit him like a slap. For all his scheming and ambition, Jake knew that losing Margaret’s backing could cripple his chances at survival in the power game they were playing since she was the one playing the background game with Claire.

“I’ll fix it,” Jake promised, his voice low but firm. “I’ll make this right.”

Margaret arched a brow, unimpressed. “How? Because from where I’m standing, you’ve just given Alex every reason to tighten the noose around your neck. Do you even have a plan, or are you planning to improvise again?”

Jake clenched his fists, trying to contain his growing frustration. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, taking a long sip before answering.

“I’ll need to discredit him,” Jake said finally, his tone measured. “That video and photo make me look bad, sure, but they don’t prove anything concrete, we can look for a way to convince Aunt Claire. But with the news of him and Emma circulating, I could use it to take him down. I could call a board meeting and have the board choose another CEO on the grounds that Alex is bringing problems for the company with his affair. I can use that to turn this around.”

“And what about Emma?” Margaret asked, her voice dripping with skepticism. “She’s a liability you’ve ignored for far too long. Do you think Alex will hesitate to use her to ruin you further? If you don’t deal with her—”

“I know,” Jake interrupted, his voice sharper than intended. “I’ll handle Emma. She’s tied to Alex now, and he might want to use her to get to me so I have no option but to handle her. I have to if I must succeed,” he said in a low and dangerous tone.

Margaret gave him a long, appraising look. “You’d better, Jake. And fast. Because if you fail again, I won’t be here to clean up your mess.”

With that, she swept out of the room, leaving Jake alone with his thoughts and his half-empty glass of whiskey.

He sank into the leather armchair, staring into the amber liquid as his mind raced. Alex had humiliated him today, yes, but this wasn’t over.

A slow, bitter smirk crept onto his face as an idea began to take shape. If Alex wanted to play dirty, Jake would go lower.

And as for Emma, it was long overdue. He probably should’ve taken better care of her and not let her cause trouble when he had the chance. Well, it wasn’t too late.

Reaching for his phone, he scrolled through his contacts until he found Vanessa’s number. She was volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous—but she also had her uses.

When she picked up, her voice was cautious. “Jake? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”

“We have a problem,” he said, his voice calm but laced with authority. “And you’re going to help me solve it.”

“What? How?” Vanessa asked and Jake rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what is most important. There’s something I need you to do for me,” he said and Vanessa sighed, ready to take instructions.

As they began to talk, Jake’s smirk deepened. He might have lost the first battle, but the war was far from over.